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Reports: Volkswagen U.S. CEO Michael Horn out

Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY
Published 11:00 a.m. ET Sept. 24, 2015

Michael Horn on Monday said the company 'totally screwed up.'

Michael Horn reportedly has been ousted as president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. He is shown here introducing the new Volkswagen Passat at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, on Monday.(Photo: Kevin Hagen/AP)

Volkswagen's U.S. chief is expected to leave the company after an emissions scandal erupted, according to multiple reports.

Michael Horn, CEO of the German automaker's U.S. operations, is departing after less than two years on the job, according to Reuters and CNBC. His departure is expected to be announced Friday, when the company's full board will meet and announce other changes.

Asked to address the reports, Volkswagen spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said in an email to USA TODAY: "We are just reading this in the media as well. This is speculation."

Volkswagen's global CEO, Martin Winterkorn, resigned on Wednesday amid intense pressure over the automaker's admission that it rigged 11 million diesel cars with manipulative software designed to trick regulators into believing the cars were compliant with emissions standards.

Instead, the cars are emitting nitrogen oxides — which can exacerbate respiratory conditions such as asthma — at rates of up to 40 times acceptable levels.

It's unclear whether Horn knew anything about the matter before it was publicly revealed. Winterkorn has said he had no knowledge of the software.

But Horn's tenure has been rocky from the beginning. He's had to grapple with a weak product lineup in the U.S., where Volkswagen lacks sufficient bigger vehicles to lure customers amid low gasoline prices.

On Monday, he appeared at an event in New York to introduce the 2016 Volkswagen Passat and acknowledged that the company "totally screwed up."

The company is facing a cascade of government investigations, consumer lawsuits and a plummeting stock price, not to mention skepticism over the future of diesel cars. Volkswagen has set aside more than $7 billion to foot the bill for the scandal, though that cost could rise.

The German newspaper Bild also reported Thursday that Ulrich Hackenberg, head of R&D for VW luxury brand Audi, and Wolfgang Hatz, engine chief for VW brand Porsche, will be fired, according to Automotive News.

The Volkswagen brand development chief, Heinz-Jakob Neusser, is also expected to exit, according to German publication Spiegel.